BHUBANESWAR: More than 300 passenger buses from across the State have been issued special permits to Puri by Regional Transport Office (RTO)- I, Bhubaneswar for Rath Yatra. While 210 inter-State buses have already arrived at the holy town till Friday, 300 more tourist vehicles are expected in another three days, Puri RTO Braja Senapati said adding that the figures were close to what was recorded last year.
Similarly, 8,000 to 10,000 four-wheelers and around 40,000 two-wheelers are estimated to pass through the Capital on Saturday. All passenger vehicles coming from Berhampur side will be diverted from Jankia through Jagannath Sadak which meets NH-203 at Chandanpur.
The Transport Department has made elaborate arrangements to manage influx of vehicles. Six interceptor vehicles manned with a junior Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) and a Traffic Inspector (TI) each, are deployed at different locations on Bhubaneswar-Puri and Konark-Puri routes.
For immediate evacuation of vehicles in case of an emergency, six cranes and five JCB machines are stationed at vantage points near Pipili, Chandanpur, Gop and Bramhagiri. Automobile companies have set up camps on the highway to attend to breakdown and accident of vehicles and assist in their evacuation from the site.
A team of 5 MVIs, 10 TIs and 1,000 volunteers is manning the Malatipatapur bus-stand from where free bus service to Puri has begun.
Arrangements made by the Commissionerate of Police were functional by Friday morning with 35 officers including DCP Bhubaneswar supervising over four platoons of force, 140 Home Guards and 170 OAPF personnel to ensure smooth movement of traffic.
Vehicles coming from Cuttack side would be diverted from Saptasati Temple towards Puri bypass which meets NH-203 at Uttara square. Movement of heavy vehicles from Khurda side has been restricted from 8 am to 10 pm. These vehicles will be diverted from Pitapalli square through Barang road ending at NH- 5 near Gopalpur, Cuttack.